Something Borrowed: "Feed My Frankenstein," Beasto Blanco/Alice Cooper

The apples don’t fall far from the tree on the latest release from Beasto Blanco. The leader of the band is Alice Cooper bassist Chuck Garric, and the female vocals are provided by Calico Cooper, who just happens to be Alice’s daughter. So, I wonder how they got the rights to cover an Alice song?

All jokes aside, this is an interesting take on a song that’s not one of my favorites in the Alice catalog.

Something Borrowed: "Tobacco Road," David Lee Roth/The Nashville Teens/John D. Loudermilk

Every now and then my shuffle hits a song from David Lee Roth’s Eat ’Em and Smile album, and I remember how much I loved that record.

Sure, it’s silly, corny and completely over the top, but that’s precisely what I want from Diamond Dave. That flamboyant, and at times, yes, goofy personality is part and parcel of why I’ve always loved him and why, in my mind, Sammy Hagar was never a replacement for him despite really being the better singer. 

Roth also has a knack for surrounding himself with great musicians, and that was especially true of this record, which featured the likes of Steve Vai on guitar, Billy Sheehan on bass and Gregg Bissonette on drums.

At a time when Van Halen with Hagar was moving toward a more pop-oriented sound, Eat ’Em and Smile was a loud blast of wild-eyed rock ‘n’ roll that was essentially a middle finger to what Roth’s former band was doing. At least that’s how I saw it.

Review: Devin Townsend Project, "Ki"

I've been a fan of Devin Townsend since I first heard him as vocalist and second guitar player on Steve Vai's "Sex & Religion" album. I haven't always liked the music he's done, but I have to say that every project he's been involved in has, at least, been interesting.

With "Ki," he opens another chapter in his career. In 2007, Townsend disbanded his long-running extreme metal outfit Strapping Young Lad and decided to devote more time to his family. In the intervening two years, he's sobered up and written a series of four records with what he says are very distinct sounds, all of which he hopes to release before the end of the year, followed by a short tour. This is the first record, and it's very different from anything that Townsend has produced before.

The record opens with the brief soft, clean guitar sounds of "A Monday," and listeners familiar with Townsend's previous work will be expecting that explosion of sound and ferocity on the following track "Coast." They may be disappointed. Instead, the second track opens with a slowly building noise, followed by some interesting funky jazz fusion-ish riffing that continues to build as Townsend sings softly. There's finally a little clash of metallic sound at the end, but it's relatively brief and drops back into an acoustic lick.

The third track, "Disruptr" is one of the better songs here, opening with a bass-heavy groove and following the same pattern as the previous track, building into a heavy, maniacal attack at the end with Townsend singing in more of his usual growling and warbling style. It doesn't take long for listeners to hear the connections in the songs. It should be apparent by fourth track, "Gato." There are a lot of very similar grooves, beats and themes laid down in each tune, yet each retains its own unique character.

Townsend continues to throw some strange and quirky things into the mix as "Ki" goes along. There's the quiet, wah-laden blues licks on "Ain't Never Gonna Win," the jazzy licks of the title track, The Beatles-esque sounds of "Lady Helen" and the country/Southern-rock stylings on the opening of "Trainfire," which is at the same time one of the most out of place moments on the record and one of the most fun, as Townsend does his best Elvis impression on the opening verses. A fun little wink and nod comes toward the end of the album, with the tune "Quiet Riot." Surprisingly, a jaunty acoustic piece filled with Beatles influence, it sounds nothing like the band that is the namesake of the song -- yet there is a connection.

Like all projects Townsend has been involved with, this one is quirky and more than a little strange. It's a varied piece of work loaded with surprises, if rather sedate by Townsend's previous standards. I'm not sure that it's something I'd choose for everyday listening, but it's certainly interesting enough to earn a spot in my collection. I'll be curious to hear the other three installments and see how they fit together.

Get "Ki."

Interview: Tommy Emmanuel

Guitarist Tommy Emmanuel has played all over the world, from the Sydney Opera House to the Grand Ole Opry.

"I've played in places that have never seen a white man play guitar before, places in Africa, Burma and Vietnam," he said. "I grew up in the Outback of Australia, so no kind of culture really shocks me."

Emmanuel said he approaches all of his shows in the same way.

"I try to approach everything I do with the attitude of give it everything I've got - whether I'm playing in a small place somewhere in Thailand or whether I'm playing at Catalina Island to a few thousand people," he said.

Emmanuel is touring in support of his latest album, "Only." It's his first solo acoustic album, as well as one of the first releases on the acoustic arm of Steve Vai's Favored Nations label. Emmanuel said many of the songs on "Only" reflect his own experiences.

"Some (of the songs) were written on the road, some were written in different countries, some were written on a plane, one was written on a train," he said. "It's like snapshots of parts of my life. The things that happened to me are all there in the music."

Emmanuel said the task of making an album that featured only him and his guitar had some challenges, but the choice of guitar was not one of them. He says the acoustic has a depth that the electric can't match.

"I think for the songs I write and the way I play, the acoustic is the right choice," he said. "Electric guitar, I enjoy too, but with that you definitely need backing; you need a band. The acoustic is like its own little orchestra. It's got everything, and when you play in that style, it's truly self-contained."

Though Emmanuel is a household name in his native Australia, he's only begun to achieve the same kind of fame in the rest of the world. It began with a performance at the closing ceremonies of the Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia. That, he says, was one of the highlights of his career.

"It was an extreme honor to be asked to do that," Emmanuel said.

But during the performance, he says he didn't consider the wide audience he was reaching.

"The amount of preparation it took to put that together was an extraordinary effort on everyone's part," he said. "At the time, you just concentrate on trying to do the best job you can and being part of a whole team of people. When you're out there, you don't think, `there's 2.5 billion people watching this' - you just don't think of it. You're just trying to play your best."

After that performance, he made his way to the United States where he played the Grand Ole Opry with one of his mentors, Chet Atkins. He was also nominated for a Grammy for a collaboration with Atkins and peformed on Atkins' final album.

Ultimately, though, Emmanuel says music isn't about worldwide recognition, it's just what he was born to do. He thinks people who attend his concerts will see that.

"I think people are going to see somebody doing something that they're born to do," he said. "I've played music all my life. It's not only how I make a living, but it's also, I believe, my calling in life. I think if people come out with an open mind and an open heart, they're going to have a great time."